Disclaimer: I bought a couple pokemon games. Not pokemon in general, but it counts for something, right?
Chapter 1: A Bad Impression
The sound of footsteps echoed around an eevee as she quickly ran through the small town. The eevee's chocolate colored eyes scanned the shops looking for the Kecleon Shop.
Joy glittered in the same eyes as they caught sight of the familiar shop, almost all of the towns she had traveled through had a Kecleon Shop. It was a constant thing sometimes even appearing in mystery dungeons.
The eevee quickly skipped over to the shop only to catch a kecleon, most likely the store owner, in the middle of a discussion with a vulpix.
"Have you heard about the news of a thief near town?" asked the kecleon.
"I must say I haven't. What is the newest news?" asked the vulpix in an apathetic tone of voice.
The kecleon seemingly unaware of his customer's lack of interest continued. "Apparently an absol has been robbing Pokémon around town. Isn't that intriguing?"
The eevee's ears twitched slightly when she heard the kecleon say absol. Whether it was disbelief or terror she couldn't tell. Absol were legendary for one thing and only one. They often showed up right before disasters occurred (it was often a topic of debate if they caused the disaster or could just sense it). These disasters weren't just little disasters they were run for the hills kind of disasters.
"An absol? It probably was made up by someone to scare some gullible Pokémon. Can I have my reviver seed now?" the vulpix asked disgust coating her voice at the mention of an absol.
Disappointment and hurt appeared on the kecleon's face at vulpx's thoughtless comment. He reached behind her and handed the vulpix a reviver seed.
Before the vulpix even had a chance to turn to leave the eevee quickly jumped next to her interrupting the conversation.
"Wait! Who saw the absol? Does an absol sighting mean a disaster is going to happen? Have exploration teams tried catching the absol?" the eevee asked, her questions overflowing from her mouth.
The kecleon smiled secretly glad to finally found someone interested in his latest news. Just when he was about to answer the vulpix interrupted. "Since you were listening oh so closely to our conversation I'm sure you can take my place."
The eevee watched as the vuplix stormed off, her tails shaking back and forth with suppresses rage.
"I'm sorry, I didn't think I would chase her off," the eevee said.
"Don't worry about it. Aria is always like that, but she grows on you after a while. A long while," the kecleon laughed.
He continued smiling and said, "My name is Perry and I'm assuming you just don't go by eevee."
"Nope, my name is Autumn," the eevee said with a smile.
"Well, to answer your questions from earlier one of my earlier customers saw him. Said it gave him a huge fright especially since he was robbing a charizard. Second, no it does not mean a disasters going to happen. If this is the same absol whose been wandering around everywhere and disasters don't happen wherever he goes. Through some Pokémon have said he's as bad as a disaster himself since he frightens innocent Pokémon and takes everything of value from them. Third, yes, many exploration teams have tried but he either escapes or defeats them. If my memory serves correctly his rank is a star eight."
Autumn's eyes widened in shock, star eights were practically unheard of. They are strong, vicious and also attract many exploration teams to fight them because the rewards for defeating them are so wonderful.
Perry's face filled with joy as he saw the fascinated expression and the young eevee's face. He has always delighted in gossip, both hearing it and telling it, it was one of the many reasons he worked in Kecleon Shop.
"I also remember someone telling me he lived on the top floor in the Ice Fortress. Don't know why anyone would want to through. That place is abundant with avalanches, earthquakes and is filled with many dangerous Pokémon." Perry said with a grin.
Autumn stayed silent for a couple minutes reflecting on what she had just heard.
"So, are you going to buy anything," Perry said after a long silence.
"Oh! Of course! May I have three oran berries and one big apple?" Autumn asked shocked out of her silence.
"Of course! Are you planning to go on a long journey?" Perry asked while searching for her requested items.
"Yep! I want to see as much of the world as I can," Autumn said her eyes glazing over as her imagination swept her away to unknown lands.
"Well we don't you join an exploration team or get training at a guild to start one? It would be much easier and safer to see the world not to mention that you would be given rewards for doing it." Perry said after locating a big apple.
"I don't know. I don't feel comfortable with joining a team and I'm not strong enough to start one. So..." Autumn sighed.
"Too bad. Well, this all adds up to 110 poke coins," Perry said with a smile that looked a bit greedy.
"Um... can we change that to 70 poke coins that is kind of all I have," Autumn stated sheepish.
Perry's face hardened and said, "I will take off two of the oran berries, then you should have enough."
Autumn looked back and forth from her empty bag and 70 poke coins.
Perry noticed her hesitation and smiled. "Your scarf is rather pretty I'm sure it would catch a good price if you don't want to give up your money."
Autumn froze and looked down at her sea blue scarf. "I'm really sorry, but it's too important to sell. Here is the money."
Autumn handed over all the poke coins she had. There goes breakfast tomorrow, she thought with a sigh.
She gave Perry a pained smile as she walked away with none of her previous energy. Any she had held on to was thinking about the lack of food she had for the next few days.
Autumn quickly left for the next town. She was deeply concerned with the money-grubbing town. Really how was an oran berry 20 poke coins each. They were ripping her off! She could see why a thief would be located around the town. Autumn's internal complaining was interrupted by a faint clunk in the distance.
Her sensitive ears twitched as they picked up a cry coming from the same direction. She instantly started running toward the sound. Faint memories stirred in the back of her mind but she pushed them down. There was no need to remember the past.
The scene Autumn stumbled upon was unexpected to say the least. A white creature a bit larger than her was attacking an . . . acorn? The white Pokémon seemed to sense her presence and turned to face her. Autumn didn't know whether to be grateful for a better look or terrified that she caught its attention. It was covered entirely in white fur except for a gray tail, a charcoal colored face and a long horn coming out from the right side of the Pokémon's face. But the thing about it that caught her attention the most and chilled her to her very bones were its eyes. They were cold and ruthless but also as red as a luminous rose.
Autumn could feel her body trembling but whatever daze she had been in was broken as she spotted the acorn trying to run away while the unknown Pokémon was distracted.
As the Pokémon began to turn back to is prey obviously thinking Autumn was not a threat her heart was filled with a foreign rage.
"Hey!" Autumn yelled hoping to distract the white Pokémon.
It turned back towards her annoyance and boredom clearly showing in its eyes. "Yes?" its voice asked filled with so much cold that she was suspecting it was an ice-type.
Autumn drew a blank for what to do next. She really hadn't planned this out.
"Don't hurt the acorn!" she yelled. She immediately felt incredibly stupid.
"Acorn? You aren't the brightest are you?" the potential ice-type said with either amusement or annoyance in its voice. Autumn couldn't really tell.
Anger flooded through her. She was scared and now embarrassed. This day wasn't going onto her Best Day List. Her muscles tensed as she attempted to tackle the Pokémon.
"Don't! He is the absol!" Acorn yelled in the distance.
The recently classified absol was ready for attack as his horn glowed with energy as he slashed her. She fell over to weak to get up after one hit. As blackness coated her vision the last thing she remembered was being surprised that the thief was an absol which was a dark-type not an ice-type.
The absol looked at the collapsed eevee with an indifferent gaze before turning back to the seedot, not an acorn but it was the Acorn Pokémon. The seedot was trembling trying to blend in with the tree roots it had managed to run to while the eevee was distracting the absol. The seedot kept throwing tear-filled glances at the fallen eevee.
A twinge of an emotion in the absol's heart as he saw the seedot cry over a Pokémon that it had never crossed paths with before. The twinge returned doubled in strength. What was it? Regret? No, the eevee brought it on herself. Sorrow? No, the eevee would recover. Resentment? The absol quickly shook his head erasing all the pointless thoughts.
He drew his attention back to the seedot or more specifically the reason he had targeted the seedot. An old coin probably worth a fortune that it was wearing. It was glittering, mocking the absol.
He prepared his night slash, the same move he had knocked out the eevee with, and approached the seedot. The seedot then began trembling in fear it threw down the glittering coin along with all the money it had.
The absol grabbed the coin and poke coins, then he nodded at the seedot. The seedot looked relieved then quickly climbed up a nearby tree to hide.
The absol scoffed at the seedot's behavior. He then began contemplating the difference in the bravery (or was it foolishness) between the eevee and the seedot as he wandered back to the Ice Fortress.
Large chocolate colored eyes opened.
Then blinked once.
Then twice.
Then three times until their owner remembered why she was in the middle of a forest with a large bruise.
Autumn sat straight up and gave a slight yelp from the pain.
"Um... Excuse me," a rather large oak tree said. Autumn screeched and leapt to her feet. Wincing as her side radiated pain.
What Autumn didn't plan on was her screech startling the voice's owner and causing it to fall out of the tree.
What Autumn also didn't realize was the voice was coming from directly above her which meant the owner of said voice landed on her.
"Ow," she muttered weakly.
"S..orry," the object of her most recent pain said.
As the object of pain got off her back she realized that it was the acorn she had tried to help.
"Oh, Acorn it's you," Autumn stated lightly.
"Yeah, I stayed here until you woke up so I could have a chance to thank you for trying to help me. So.. Thank you," the acorn muttered shyly.
"No, it was my choice. Did the absol leave you alone?" Autumn awkwardly. She had never been in a situation where she was talking to an acorn about a thieving Disaster Pokémon.
Even in her head it sounded a little ridiculous.
"No, he kind of . . . took a family heirloom," the acorn in question said blushing cherry red from Autumn's attention. Autumn's hopeful face immediately fell in both shame and disappointment.
"But having you there made me feel better. And you did your best there was nothing you could have done. The absol was too strong." After seeing his first tactic didn't work the acorn tried a new approach.
"My name is Charlie," the seedot said hoping a change in topic what cheer her up.
"Autumn. My name is Autumn!" Autumn yelled finding newfound strength from the words. She started laughing and laughing.
Did she have amnesia or something? Charlie thought confused by Autumn's joy in saying her own name.
"The absol took your family heirloom, right?" Autumn asked determination building in her eyes.
"Yeah, a rare coin," Charlie said a bad feeling building up inside him.
"Okay! I will get it back for you!" Autumn yelled running down the path. Right when she was about to disappear from sight she skidded to a stop and turned around.
"Where is this absol anyway?" Autumn asked.
Autumn shivered even through her thick fur was shielding her from most of the cold. As she approached the Ice Fortress doubt and anticipation began rearing their heads. But as soon as she set eyes on the Ice Fortress itself all the feelings disappeared and she also realized why someone would want to live in the Ice Fortress. If they were strong enough.
It resembled more of a castle than a fortress. Made exclusively of ice blue crystals it drew the light toward it then reflected it back out. Its main parts soared into the air making the Ice Fortress look regal. It was both intimidating and welcoming, but overall it was the most beautiful sight Autumn had ever seen.
Autumn steeled her courage, walked up to the large glass-like doors and then pushed them open with all the strength she had.
AN: Hey!
I hope that you enjoyed reading this story. If you haven't guessed this is my first story, so it would help me improve if you review. So, please review.
Thank you very much for taking time to read this.
-Four Leafed Fortune-